It's not so much meticulous as drawing a complete blank and not knowing how to decorate a terrifying empty space - blank page syndrome

I generally tend to a few rules rules I learned somewhere back in the day that leads to an ordered randomness

using a odd number of items in a space or a corner makes it feel less arranged and more natural

Avoid symmetry except in those specific cases when you WANT symmetry (like tombstones in a grave yard)

Vary your shapes...instead of three square things, or three round things, mix them up

And of course vary your sizes

Now I wish I could say I put that much thought into things when I am slopping things around....but its a consideration

Its a lot like painting actually....you start with a blank canvas.....you have a basic idea of what you want, and then you can start slopping on paint....big things first details second. And of course this canvas is completely changable

While I've been a bit stuck with TMM recently, I've also been part of the testing team for Lost Heaven Multiplayer.
We recently went online to take some promotional screens, and had some good laughs doing it.

As some of you will know, I haven't touched The Mafioso Mod for over a year now. We all know that this is a hobby and an enjoyable pastime that we indulge in whenever we can, and all projects that take a long time to complete will suffer setbacks and inevitably have to be put on the back burner every once in a while; many of the Mafia modders who grew up in this scene can testify to this.

Briefly summarised and without being melodramatic, I have been struggling with mental illness for just over two years now, in the form of Treatment-Resistant Depression. For most of that time I've managed to keep up a good façade socially, both online and in person, but recently I have begun to find this very difficult after more than twenty six months of dragging myself through day after day of failed drugs and ineffectual treatments.

The word 'depression' is thrown around a lot, but in fact only 4% of the Earth suffer from the condition, and of those just 1.7% are estimated to be severely non-responsive to treatment.
Those who do suffer from TRD (approximately 12 million worldwide) are generally not the people one sees on the internet shouting about how depressed they are; more often than not they are too ashamed to speak out about it - nobody wants to hang around with a mentally ill person.
From a personal standpoint I'm actually okay with that - I'd much rather people didn't know, so that when I recovered I could carry on as if nothing had happened instead of being treated differently because everyone knew I once had this illness.

Because of the nature of TRD, often both endogenous and reactive, it can be very difficult to treat. Psychological therapies are out of the question and the majority of medication prescribed for Depression just isn't up to the task, as 12 million people spread over a 7-billion-person population makes the condition comparatively rare.
Next week I hope to start on heavier medication but unfortunately things are taking a long time to get anywhere - what very few people know about the UK is that the state of our mental health sector is abysmal. There is very little money and this means that very little research can be pioneered into new drugs, that more powerful (and by definition expensive) drugs for people who suffer more than the average 'low mood' are difficult to get, and that psychological therapies are handed out like candy because of how cheap they are. (This latter point makes me wonder if a doctor would ever ask someone to 'think happy thoughts' to heal their broken leg - in my mind the same principle applies).

I apologise for the lengthy post, but I thought it best to let people know that I haven't given up on this project - I hope to be able to return to it before the end of the year if all goes to plan and I make a good recovery.

Asa, I admire your bravery and honesty; takes a mature man to admit
his problems. I can emphasize completely as you well know I too suffer
from mental illness in the form of BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder)
I too have bouts of depression and mood swings. However enough of
my problems.

It's good to see you back, and however long it takes for you too get
through this and complete the Mafioso Mod (or not); take all the time you need
no one is going to rush you. _________________